Echinacea plant named &#39;Minbel252&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Echinacea  plant named ‘Minbel252’, characterized by its upright and relatively compact plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; strong flowering stems; numerous large anemone-centered inflorescences with red purple-colored florets; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Echinacea hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘MINBEL252’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant, botanically known as Echinacea hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Minbel252’.

The new Echinacea plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new freely flowering and relatively compact Echinacea plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Echinacea plant originated from a cross-pollination in July, 2011 in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands of Echinacea hybrida ‘Southern Belle’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,493, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Echinacea hybrida identified code number 808-25, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Echinacea plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled greenhouse environment in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands in June, 2012.

Asexual reproduction of the new Echinacea plant by tissue culture in a controlled environment in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands since July, 2014 has shown that the unique features of this new Echinacea plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Echinacea have been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Minbel252’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Minbel252’ as a new and distinct Echinacea plant:

-   -   1. Upright and relatively compact plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Freely branching habit.     -   4. Strong flowering stems.     -   5. Numerous large anemone-centered inflorescences with red         purple-colored florets.     -   6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Echinacea can be compared to plants of the female parent, ‘Southern Belle’. Plants of the new Echinacea differ from plants of ‘Southern Belle’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Echinacea are shorter than plants of         ‘Southern Belle’.     -   2. Plants of the new Echinacea have stronger flowering stems         than plants of ‘Southern Belle’.     -   3 Ray florets of plants of the new Echinacea are lighter red         purple in color than ray florets of plants of ‘Southern Belle’.

Plants of the new Echinacea can be compared to plants of the male parent selection. Plants of the new Echinacea differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Echinacea are shorter than plants of the         male parent selection.     -   2. Ray florets of plants of the new Echinacea are darker red         purple in color than ray florets of plants of the male parent         selection.

Plants of the new Echinacea can be compared to plants of Echinacea purpurea ‘Butterfly Kisses’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,458. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands, plants of the new Echinacea differed primarily from plants of ‘Butterfly Kisses’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Echinacea were taller than plants of         ‘Butterfly Kisses’.     -   2. Plants of the new Echinacea have lighter red purple-colored         florets than plants of ‘Butterfly Kisses’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Echinacea plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Echinacea plant.

The photograph on the first sheet is a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Minbel252’ grown in ground beds in an outdoor nursery and placed in a 21 cm container for the photograph.

The photographs on the second sheet are close-up views of a typical inflorescence (upper photograph) and the upper surface of a typical leaf (lower photograph) of ‘Minbel252’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the summer in ground beds in an outdoor nursery in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typically used in commercial Echinacea production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 18° C. to 32° C. and night temperatures ranged from 8° C. to 20° C. Plants were eight months old when the photographs and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Echinacea hybrida ‘Minbel252’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female parent.—Echinacea hybrida ‘Southern Belle’, disclosed             in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,493.         -   Male parent.—Proprietary selection of Echinacea hybrida             identified as code number 808-25, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About one week at             temperatures about 25° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About five             weeks at temperatures about 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; typically pale cream in             color, actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate             composition, water quality, fertilizer type and formulation,             substrate temperature and physiological age of roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; upright             and relatively compact plant habit, broad inverted triangle;             freely branching habit with about 19 lateral branches             developing per plant; vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 60.5 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread.—About 81.5 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 40 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm.             Internode length: About 6.3 cm. Aspect: Erect to about 30°             from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture: Moderately             pubescent; strigose; rough. Color: Close to 146C to 146D             tinged with close to 183A. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 11.9 cm.         -   Width.—About 2.7 cm.         -   Shape.—Narrowly ovate to lanceolate.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Entire to very shallowly dentate; slightly undulate.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Moderately pubescent,             strigose; rough.         -   Luster, upper and lower surfaces.—Slightly glossy.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Slightly darker             than 143A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 143A.             Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N137A;             venation, close to 138B to 138C. Fully expanded leaves,             lower surface: Close to 137B; venation, close to 138B to             138C.         -   Petioles, basal leaves.—Length: About 3.3 cm. Diameter:             About 2.5 mm. Strength: Strong, flexible. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Mostly glabrous; margins, moderately             pubescent, strigose. Color, upper surface: Close to 145A;             margins, close to N137A. Color, lower surface: Close to             145A; margins, close to 137A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Large anemone-centered inflorescences with ray             and disc florets arranged on a capitulum; inflorescences             positioned upright above the foliar plane on mostly upright             and strong peduncles.         -   Flowering habit.—Freely flowering habit with about 130             inflorescences developing per plant during the flowering             season.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Time to flower.—In the garden, plants flower continuously             from early July to late September in The Netherlands.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good             substance for about three weeks on the plant; inflorescences             persistent.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 2.2 cm. Diameter: About             2.2 cm. Shape: Flattened globular. Color: Involucral bracts,             darker than 146A; ray florets, close to 181B to 181C.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 9.6 cm. Depth (height):             About 4 cm. Disc diameter: About 6.8 cm. Receptacle height:             About 1.4 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 8 mm. Receptacle             color: Close to N155A.         -   Ray florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About 13 arranged in             a single whorl at the base of the receptacle. Length: About             4.4 cm. Width: About 1 cm. Shape: Oblanceolate. Apex:             Emarginate to praemorse. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper surface: Glabrous; slightly velvety;             longitudinally ridged. Texture, lower surface: Glabrous;             longitudinally ridged. Luster, upper surface: Dull. Luster,             lower surface: Slightly glossy. Aspect: Horizontal to             drooping, about 5° from horizontal. Color: When opening,             upper surface: Close to between 63B and 68A. When opening,             lower surface: Close to 63A to 63B. Fully opened, upper             surface: Close to 61A; color becoming closer to 182D with             development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 67B and             68A; color becoming closer to 182C with development.         -   Disc florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About 240 per             inflorescence, spirally at the center. Length: About 3 cm.             Diameter: About 6 mm. Shape: Obovate to oblanceolate. Apex:             Praemorse to cleft. Base: Cuneate, fused. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous; slightly velvety.             Texture, lower surface: Smooth, glabrous. Luster, upper             surface: Matte. Luster, lower surface: Slightly glossy.             Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 62A. When             opening, lower surface: Close to 58D. Fully opened, upper             surface: Close to 63B; color does not change with             development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 63A to             63B; color does not change with development.         -   Receptacle spines.—Quantity: One per disc floret. Shape:             Acicular. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Texture: Smooth,             glabrous. Luster: Glossy. Color: Apex: Close to 53B.             Mid-section: Close to 144B. Base: Close to 157D.         -   Involucral bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 48             arranged in about three whorls. Length: About 7 mm. Width:             About 3 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acute. Base: Cuneate.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous.             Texture, lower surface: Moderately pubescent. Luster, upper             and lower surfaces: Matte. Color, upper surface: Close to             N137A. Color, lower surface: Close to 137A.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 18.1 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm.             Strength: Strong. Aspect: Upright to about 30° from             vertical. Texture: Moderately pubescent; strigose. Color:             Close to 146B to 146C.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: None observed on ray or             disc florets. Gynoecium (present only on disc florets):             Quantity per floret: One. Pistil length: About 6 mm. Stigma             shape: Decurrent, unequal. Stigma color: Close to 180C to             180D. Style length: About 5 mm. Style color: Close to 180C.             Ovary color: Close to 157D. Seeds and fruits: Seed and fruit             development have not been observed on plants of the new             Echinacea. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Echinacea have not been     shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Echinacea     plants. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Echinacea have exhibited good     garden performance and to tolerate rain and wind. Plants of the new     Echinacea have been observed to tolerate high temperatures of about     35° C. and to be hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 4. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Echinacea plant named ‘Minbel252’ as illustrated and described. 